Chris Cornell's Wife Just Blamed His Death on a Popular FDA-Approved Prescription Drug

Rock fans around the world were shocked last week after hearing the news that Chris Cornell, former lead singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave, had killed himself.

“Chris’s death is a loss that escapes words and has created an emptiness in my heart that will never be filled. As everyone who knew him commented, Chris was a devoted father and husband. He was my best friend,” Cornell’s wife, Vicky Cornell, wrote following the death of her husband.

Authorities say Cornell died after a concert in Detroit by hanging himself in his hotel room.

His wife says she knows why Cornell killed himself - and the answer may surprise you.

Chris Cornell was taking Ativan, a psychoactive drug in the Benzodiazepines class.

Benzodiazepines, sometimes called “benzos,” are a class of psychoactive drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. The drug works by enhancing the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at the GABA receptor in the brain, producing a hypnotic effect. The drug, which was accidentally discovered in 1955 by Leo Sternbach, helps some people with high-anxiety - but can have some nasty, nasty side effects.

Cornell's wife said he sounded normal when they spoke before the show.

His world revolved around his family first and, of course, his music second. He flew home for Mother’s Day to spend time with our family. He flew out mid-day Wednesday, the day of the show, after spending time with the children. When we spoke before the show, we discussed plans for a vacation over Memorial Day and other things we wanted to do.

After the show, however, his wife noted he changed. In particular, she said, he changed after taking an Ativan:

When we spoke after the show, I noticed he was slurring his words; he was different. When he told me he may have taken an extra Ativan or two, I contacted security and asked that they check on him. What happened is inexplicable and I am hopeful that further medical reports will provide additional details. I know that he loved our children and he would not hurt them by intentionally taking his own life.

As Rolling Stone reports, an attorney for the Cornell family, Kirk Pasich, reiterated Vicky’s belief that an extra dosage of Ativan — an anxiety medication often employed by recovering addicts — altered Chris Cornell’s mental faculties after the Detroit show. Pasich added that the Cornell family is “disturbed at inferences that Chris knowingly and intentionally took his life.”

“Without the results of toxicology tests, we do not know what was going on with Chris — or if any substances contributed to his demise,” Pasich said. “Chris, a recovering addict, had a prescription for Ativan and may have taken more Ativan than recommended dosages. The family believes that if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions.”

Pasich added, as Rolling Stone reports, that side effects of Ativan include “paranoid or suicidal thoughts, slurred speech and impaired judgment.” Vicky Cornell noted her husband’s slurred speech following the Detroit concert in her statement.

She added, “The outpouring of love and support from his fans, friends and family means so much more to us than anyone can know. Thank you for that, and for understanding how difficult this is for us.”

Cornell’s fate is, unfortunately, not an isolated one.

There have been 150 studies in 17 countries on antidepressant-induced side effects. There have been 134 drug regulatory agency warnings from 11 countries, and the EU warning about the dangerous side effects of antidepressants.

Currently, 11 percent of all Americans 12 years of age and over take antidepressant medication. This is a higher rate than all other countries in the world.

Even worse, the drug usage rate is skyrocketing among young children - as more than 1 million children ages 0 to 5 are on psychiatric drugs, and it gets worse. More than 4 million children ages 6-12 currently taking these drugs.

How many of those children could be looking forward to the same fate Cornell suffered?

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Chris Cornell's Wife Just Blamed His Death on a Popular FDA-Approved Prescription Drug
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